I just saw someone open a Dungeons & Dragons review topic and it made me think about the amazing number of versions of Dungeons & Dragons games there are in circulation. My question is why do you play the version you do? Is it because nothing else is available or you just like that version's mechanics?
I can't say that I really have a favorite edition of Dungeons & Dragons. I started out with 2nd edition AD&D and to me, 5th Edition seems to harken back to, and seems to have the feel of, 2nd edition though it has streamlined it a bit and has taken care of several of the issues I had with the earlier editions. 3.5 was ok but it just seems to have a whole lot of things to keep track of with all the feats and such. The same applies to Pathfinder, which is basically Dungeons & Dragons 3.75. Between Pathfinder and 3.5 though I tend toward Pathfinder.
I never did play 4th Edition, when I first looked at it I didn't even really recognize it as Dungeons & Dragons. I think 5th Edition still has its quirks and problems, but I tend to prefer it over other editions at this point, but that is not to say I'm not open to the other editions.
Can't say I have a favorite because I really have not gotten into versions other than Dungeons & Dragons 3.5. For 3.5 I like how you can focus on a specific combat area to make your character sort of super powerful in one or two things. From what I've seen from earlier versions of Dungeons & Dragons you can't really do that.
Alright, but which is your favorite? All you did was list all the versions and no, Pathfinder not included or we would have to include all the other variants that took something from Dungeons & Dragons. Most every game out there has some kind of root to Dungeons & Dragons .
The AD&D books were fun to read. We use to reference them so much the hard covers would come off and the pages start to get loose. It was a big step up from red box at the time but we loved it.
Played a lot of ADD 1+2 back when. Nowadays I am really enjoying 5. Missed out on 3 and 4 due to playing other games at the time.
Having played the new version I don't see myself going back but the ADD 1st edition DMG is still a wealth of useful material.